Cape York
Grey Gypsies of Australia
Old Coach Road
The Old Coach Road runs between Maytown and Laura. What an experience! One afternoon and
morning for 67Kms. We experimented with a mounted video camera to capture the action &
there was plenty of it. Unfortunately the camera chewed more memory than anticipated & the
camera recorded over earlier recordings. Naturally, the earlier part was where the action
took place. Lesson: Get to know your equipment before hand.
The southern part of the track is demanding and you are constantly working. The photo
below shows three options
•
Left most & overgrown: The track taken by the coaches
•
Middle: Steepest
•
Right: The chicken run; still requires close attention
Between about 1870 & 1890 Maytown was the centre of the Palmer River goldfields from where large amounts of gold were recovered. It was one of the richest
alluvial deposits ever discovered and attracted many thousands of prospectors, especially Chinese. Estimates put the amount at over 1,000,000 ounces.
Various reports put the population c1980 at 100 or 5000. Supposedly there were three banks, many stores, a hospital and two chemists.
A short clip of the southern section of the track.
Old Coach Road
Click photos to view enlarged & click to close
A second clip of the track.
Camp at Cradle Creek
Grey Gypsies of Australia
Old Coach Road
The Old Coach Road runs between Maytown and Laura. What an experience!
One afternoon and morning for 67Kms. We experimented with a mounted video
camera to capture the action & there was plenty of it. Unfortunately the camera
chewed more memory than anticipated & the camera recorded over earlier
recordings. Naturally, the earlier part was where the action took place. Lesson:
Get to know your equipment before hand.
The southern part of the track is demanding and you are constantly working.
The photo below shows three options
•
Left most & overgrown: The track
taken by the coaches
•
Middle: Steepest
•
Right: The chicken run; still
requires close attention
Between about 1870 & 1890 Maytown was the centre of the Palmer River
goldfields from where large amounts of gold were recovered. It was one of the
richest alluvial deposits ever discovered and attracted many thousands of
prospectors, especially Chinese. Estimates put the amount at over 1,000,000
ounces.
Various reports put the population c1980 at 100 or 5000. Supposedly there were
three banks, many stores, a hospital and two chemists.
A short clip of the southern section of the track.
Old Coach Road
Click photos to view enlarged & click to close
A second clip of the track.
Camp at Cradle Creek
